African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged President Bola Tinubu to unveil beneficiaries of the N33.75 billion in cash transfers to 3.29 million households under the social investment scheme, describing it as a racket run for the benefit of officials, not the poor.

Similarly, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) demanded a comprehensive audit of the National Cash Transfer Programme (NCTP) following concerns over the failure to properly account for N33.75 billion disbursed under the scheme.

The ADC also asked the Tinubu government to provide clarity on the N585 million wired by former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.

In a statement yesterday, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said: “Let us call this what it is. Not mismanagement. Not an oversight. It is an organised racket, which this government has run under the guise of a social intervention programme. They are stealing from the poor and telling them to continue to endure hardship.”

The party alleged that at the beginning of the Tinubu administration, N585 million was reportedly wired to a private account under Edu before she was caught, adding that another N44 billion went missing from the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) under Halima Shehu, before the latest report by the Auditor-General of the Federation (AuGF) that N33.75 billion cannot be matched to any verified beneficiary.

“At the time, the government made a show of suspending her. Now, she is back in the President’s campaign council,” ADC stated. “This latest report of an unaccounted N33.75 billion intervention fund, buried inside a larger N78 billion fund, and the historical pattern of corruption that has trailed this kind of programme would suggest that this government has found a way to steal from the poor by turning the social intervention programme into a criminal enterprise.”

NATIONAL Coordinator of HURIWA, Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement yesterday, urged the Federal Government to suspend officials of the National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO) pending a full investigation.

HURIWA also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a forensic probe into the transactions, trace the funds and recover any money found to have been wrongly paid, diverted or misapplied.

The demand followed findings by AuGF that payments to 3,295,207 households across 35 states in 2023 could not be properly authenticated.

According to HURIWA, the findings point to serious weaknesses in the financial controls surrounding a major government poverty-alleviation programme meant to support vulnerable Nigerians.

The organisation said explanations were required over incomplete beneficiary details contained in payment vouchers and the absence of Remita statements needed to reconcile the transactions.

“The Nigerian people cannot continue to watch helplessly as billions of naira meant for poor and vulnerable citizens disappear into unverifiable transactions,” Onwubiko said.

HURIWA also noted that the N33.75 billion was not the only financial discrepancy requiring attention, pointing to additional irregularities totalling N36.74 billion.

It, therefore, called for a complete audit of the NCTP rather than limiting the investigation to the specific amount flagged by the AuGF.

Onwubiko challenged Tinubu to demonstrate his administration’s commitment to transparency and public accountability by taking decisive action on the findings.